VISION MISSION

UNIVERSITY FARMThe revenue from milk sales for the year was E957,727.70,a decrease of 2% compared to the previous year. Thefollowing factors contributed to the decline:The increasing number of Animal Science studentswho do feed trials on the milking cows for theirresearch has affected milk production;The calving cycle for the cows was not during thecool winter season – the best time for high milkproduction;Climate change that brought about higher temperatureswhich affected the cows as they favour lowtemperatures for maximum milk production;Farm pastures which were not in good condition dueto the dry spell, and poor irrigation infrastructure;The Farm’s milk cooling tank broke down in August2010, and thus a lot of milk was lost through spoilage,this contributed immensely to the revenue loss.Eight dairy cows were sold through a public auction,and three cows were sold to the University for thegraduation ceremony. Revenue generated from the salesamounted to E69,748.00.Beef EnterpriseBeef cattle were not sold during the year under review,since most sales were done in the 2008/2009 farmingseason. There were 17 cows, with a 100% calving rate,and a mortality rate of 11.7% since only two calves diedand 15 survived.Piggery EnterpriseDuring the year under review, the Farm culled three oldsows and two old breeding boars which were all soldto the public for slaughter. The new stock is performingwell as they are already on their fourth lactating stage.Revenue from the piggery enterprise for the year wasE175,483.18. This fi gure represents a 20.6% increasefrom last year’s sales.Other LivestockThe small stock herd comprises fi ve sheep and 15 goats.These are principally reared for research and teachingpurposes in the Department of Animal Science. In thepast, the Farm experienced a high mortality rate of smallstock, hence the continued research by the departmentof Animal Science on these animals.Crops UnitDuring the year under review, white maize was the bestperformer due to rains that came at the right time. Thecrops contribution to the Farm income was signifi cant.Revenue from white maize was E391,453.00, an increaseof 37.64% over the previous year from the same cropon the same hectarage. Revenue from yellow maize wasE9,480.00, also higher than the previous year. A sevenhectare bean crop did not survive the severe dry spell.Overall PerformanceDespite the poor performance of the season, especially atthe beginning, the overall performance of the UniversityFarm was slightly better than the previous year. Totalrevenue received was E1,315,076.78 -- a good season.However, the Farm has a great potential to generatemore revenue.The fi nished dam without waterThe fi nished dam fi lled up with water and ready for useREPORT OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR 10806